In the News

April 19, 2012 — Women's rights groups are pushing for Republican senators in New York to vote for the Reproductive Health Act, which would codify a woman's right to accept or refuse to take contraceptives and to her right to an abortion later in pregnancy if her health is at risk, the Poughkeepsie Journal reports. The last 10 weeks of the legislative session began on Tuesday.

The act would shift abortion out of the penal code and into the health code. It also would alter current law, which prohibits abortions after 24 weeks of gestation unless the woman's life is in danger.

Opponents of the bill include the state's Catholic Conference, which said the measure would "expand access to abortion and make New York State a safe haven for late-term abortionists" (Campbell, Poughkeepsie Journal, 4/18). Supporters say it would guarantee several reproductive rights for women in the state should Roe v. Wade be overturned (DeWitt, NCPR, 4/16).

NARAL Pro-Choice New York President Andrea Miller said the state "has a unique opportunity to get serious about prioritizing the health and well-being of women and families by passing this crucial bill." The group hosted its annual lobby day on Tuesday to "send a strong message" to lawmakers (Poughkeepsie Journal, 4/16).

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said he "fully support[s] the reproductive health act." The governor added that he has "been a long supporter of pro choice initiatives going way, way back, and I always will be." Cuomo's comments came after he said on a radio show that he did not know whether he had taken a public position on the bill.

A spokesperson for Cuomo, Alphonso David, on Tuesday thanked the NARAL lobbyists, saying, "It's our hope that as we proceed we will actually see it come to fruition" (NCPR, 4/18).

Video Round Up

An Interview with Justice Ginsburg on the State of Abortion Access

In a rare interview, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg tells MSNBC's Irin Carmon it is a "crying shame" that state abortion restrictions are making the procedure increasingly "[i]naccessible" to many low-income women. Watch the video

Datapoints

A Look at Abortion Coverage in the ACA's Marketplace Plans, Repro Health Report Card, More

This week's charts depict why abortion coverage is unavailable in many states' ACA marketplace plans for 2015. We also feature a national reproductive health report card and an interactive look at abortion restrictions in Missouri. Read more

At A Glance

"[Roe v. Wade] protects a woman's freedom to make her own choices about her body and her health, and reaffirms a fundamental American value: that government should not intrude in our most private and personal family matters."

— President Obama, commemorating the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Read more